Trump protesters’ rally draws dozens to Aspen’s Main Street

Climate change. Russia. Equal rights. Meals on Wheels. An alphabet soup of federal acronyms — from the EPA to the NEA.

Demonstrators on Sunday morning lined Main Street in front of Paepcke Park, attracting motorists' honks, most of which at least were seemingly in approval of their protesting of President Donald Trump's policies, budget cuts and his family's visit to Aspen.

There were such protesters as Aspen resident Mark Hesselschwerdt, whose sign declared, "I'm mad about everything."

"The EPA, fracking, education, everything," he said.

Dozens of demonstrators took to the streets after a last-minute rally — "Protest for All That is Right and Good" — was organized by the groups Indivisible Aspen and Indivisible Roaring Fork, which are local chapters of Resistance Against the Trump Agenda.

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"We figure the Trumps will not see us," said Betty Wallach, administrative vice chair of Pitkin County Democratic Party.

But Wallach, who was joined by her husband, Howard, the party's chair, said at the very least the protest would draw attention to issues that have sent America's political left into protest mode ever since Trump was elected.

One of those issues, Trump's alleged ties to the Russian government and its meddling in the presidential election "needs to be the foremost issue," said Ben Brennan of Basalt. "Something needs to be done before it gets worse."

His wife, Jen, held a sign directed at Trump's son-in-law: "Hey Jared. Putin called. He wants you in Sochi. Not Aspen."

While the president wasn't in Aspen this weekend, relatives including Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump and Ivanka Trump and their families arrived in Aspen late Saturday, a law enforcement official said. Nearly 100 U.S. Secret Service agents were expected to be in town, as well.

The Trumps, including Donald, have regularly visited Aspen in the past. But this weekend's visit brought with it heightened magnitude because the Republican businessman and reality-television star is now commander in chief.

In the November election, Trump garnered 24.2 percent of the vote in Pitkin County.